SCARY Start to Florida Keys Bridge Channel Fishing, Awesome Finish!

Terrifying first cast while kayak fishing near a Florida Keys bridge! That set the stage for a great day of jigging with the last hour producing some of the best fishing.
Online Fishing Course Discounts - www.saltstrong.com/skinner.
Salt Strong Special Club Offer Including Free Lures: bit.ly/SkinnersPrivateCommunity
My Books (Amazon):
(Latest) - Fishing the Edge: amzn.to/3TQtFvq
Fishing the Bucktail: amzn.to/2MQDysM
Fishing for Summer Flounder: amzn.to/2TcZnIP
Striper Pursuit: amzn.to/3ceIQYp
A Season on the Edge: amzn.to/3lHWye4
Rod, Reel, Line, Lure:
Fishing Rod: bit.ly/3oWVAPu
Fishing Reel: bit.ly/3TaSWCS
Jerk Shad: amzn.to/3Uw2kBM
Jig Head: amzn.to/491zH3H
Line (20#): bit.ly/3tgwgn9
Leader (20,25#): bit.ly/2EcadoD
Clothing:
Breathable Slickers: bit.ly/3niFm2S
Breathable Outer Jacket: bit.ly/3nhLGHS
Flats Shirt: bit.ly/45QTxwY
Flats Pants: bit.ly/44S3SYq
Sun Gloves: bit.ly/3oAwO57
Neck Gaiter: bit.ly/47Yr2Ox
Miscellaneous Gear:
Paddle: amzn.to/3RIcugO
Anchor Trolley: amzn.to/481OxWz
Anchor Stick: amzn.to/3SKj5rK
Hobie H Crate: amzn.to/2IAyzJH
Lip Grip: amzn.to/3b0lZTu
My Awesome Kayak Cart: amzn.to/3Jag1AD
Video Camera: amzn.to/3Vvhnu1
GoPro Polarizing Filter: amzn.to/3ompqNj
The above are Affiliate Links.
Kayak - bit.ly/sportsman_john_skinner

[@mojobudgiekayakfishing]

“I’m netting because I was told you don’t want to put your hand in the:…. Oh !#@?!!€ I’m outta here!’ Priceless

[@BStavFishing]

“Mutton” to see here! Just Skinner doing what he does best…slaying fish!

[@trudave_official]

in awe of your patience and persistence, resulting in those incredible catches.

[@Peter-zg3em]

elias is the best fisherman on the jig in a kayak in these jersey to the keys waters that i've seen making videos. he's a fantastic fisherman.

[@TomMendoladrums]

Don’t let the Bulls get you John! Scary!

[@MartinVSmith6334]

No end to good videos from you! Great entertainment and teaching.

[@lukegavigan5212]

Your knowledge is so profound, John. Happy just to listen.

[@516Spark]

Last drop 3hrs later last drop 3hrs later last drop this goes out to all the dedicated fisherman it’s hard to walk away from what we love great video Jonny skin

[@mikeknottscreek8183]

Elias is a hell of a jig fisherman and any other kind that he cares to be. Love the Florida Keys and great video, John. Glad that was the only shark you had a problem with.

[@kenni411]

Big Hammerheads out there ... be careful!

[@socalikayakadventures6985]

“Can’t be that easy” lol. Welcome to the keys

[@pigsandapples]

Excellent video. Thanks John.

[@tomwinkel5182]

That was AWSOME Mr. Skinner!!!

[@Shawnpmetal]

Great video John. Elias definitely put you on them. I watched his whole keys series. Awesome stuff.

[@billrae4198]

Good move opening the bail right away. I'll have to remember that if I ever get sharked right at the boat!

[@deanhildebrand1481]

You rock Jane, thanks for more great ideas.

[@googeelou]

Mr. Skinner, your videos are so entertaining & educational. Also like your videos when you're aboard the Blue J.

[@michaelsimko7694]

As a bluefish fanatic, I'd have a field day with those jacks.

[@brentwilson2526]

Very scary. That spot is notorious for bull sharks.

[@aaronhiggs]

Saw the Thumbnail and instantly knew the spot and he had a run in with a bull shark lol

[@mulletoutdooradventures6286]

I can't tell you how many trips I have said," ok I'm going to give it 10 more minutes" and end up getting something crazy. The wahoo in my picture I had traveled 176 miles throughout the day and I was trolling back to where I had started the day planning to finish and about 2 minutes before I reached the spot it hit. My last party boat tuna trip I hooked the pool winner 93.56 lb yellowfin the second the horn blew for lines in. I went 20hrs at the rail for 2 4lb bluefish and was the last person still fishing 😂. I swear it's my dad letting me know he's watching

[@chrisb7353]

Man I love your kayak setup! Scary hit though .... Yikes!

[@yoink_fishing]

Zoom fluke is so underrated. No one uses it here in Texas

[@BGS002]

hahah YUP, that's the Keys experience alright!

[@maddie15736]

Luv this! ❤️

[@delpoftw8689]

It's ok John, I think most of us would be using a year's worth of curse words if a giant shark hit our little boat too lol

[@cyborgnj]

I know from experience, there's some horrible things swimming around that Bahi Honda bridge lol. That wasnt even a big one John, some true beasts there. I had em grab 100# Tarpon right next to the boat.

[@Blane_be_fishin]

Gotta love the keys. You never know what you are gonna hook into down there. The sharks sure are wild there too.

[@JohnSkinnerFishing]

I had a bull cut a big tarpon in half in 4 feet of water off Pineland a few years ago. Other than that the blacktips and lemons seem a lot less aggressive than those bridge bulls. Was unnerving for sure when first cast into the trip the yak was jolted like that.

[@vipergeddy]

Damm that water looks nothing like nj lol love it

[@davidgrajko]

Blu j just went over the boat with a microscope so you guys better put a smackdown on the fish !!! Good luck !

[@pcavanaugh317]

Big Moe lives around there John! I love fishing and camping at Bahia Honda!!! My profile pic is in that very water about 10 years ago! Lots of sharks everywhere!

[@melvinganoe1175]

John’s gonna need a bigger boat 😂

[@PeterOkeefe54]

JOHN!!! you do fish the keys!!!! you dog you!!! LOL....good luck..I did just okay last week..try sombrero reef. We were on mangrove snapper and yellow tail all day

[@LongIslandLethals]

Yeah, I would have soiled myself. Outta there !! You're having better luck than us. Windy all week, rain, and a bunch of cancelled charters. These videos help.

[@JohnSkinnerFishing]

So cold and windy! I haven't used my boat in weeks. All kayak backwater, except for the brief Keys visit with Rick.

[@LongIslandLethals]

@@JohnSkinnerFishing still better than NY haha 👍

[@bigsleepy9889]

Such beautiful blue water. Man that’s awesome, great catches!

[@jackbentley9530]

I think you were fishing 7 mile bridge or Bahia Honda bridge. I didn't see you down there where I went by. A little windy. That doesn't stop John Skinner! Great video!

[@ytpython73]

How John feels about sharks: Cage goes in the water, you go in the water. Shark's in the water. Our shark. Farewell and ado to you fair Spanish ladies... :) :)

[@hdl2857]

Brings fish up a second time. Proceeds to let’s jack splash while trying to net

[@shawnboisclair3696]

Nicw video, mixing it up, seems like a good idea to stretch out and do som we thing different.

[@HWCism]

I give you credit. I spent two winters in the Bahamas and saw a lot of bull sharks. They eat people! Not to be messed with. You in your kayak. Did your wife see this video? I hope you at least got dinner.

[@fredhammer6413]

How dare you question the great John Skinner? Do you realize who your talking about? I’ve seen John Skinner ride an e-bike on the rock strewn beaches on the North Fork wearing crocks. CROCKS !!! If that’s not a sign of bravery I don’t know what is. When the local Long Island theater was damaged in a fire it was John Skinner who rebuilt it with his own hands. When the lumber and building supplies would start to dwindle down he would go to the local lumber yards and strong arm the owners to “donate” all the needed supplies under threat of grave bodily harm. They knew better than to deny his requests. I also know that the legendary John Skinner would go to the local woman’s shelter and spend many hours and great sums of money to help get the young single mothers back on their feet. Those young ladies will never forget him. Do you realize that John Skinner donates all the money he receives from his tackle and book sales to the Long Island Foundation For The Preservation Of Leaking Aluminum Boats and has himself started a sunken reef at the base of the Mount Sinai boat launch? John Skinner is more a man than you or I will ever be. He’s made and lost three fortunes, has hurricanes named after him, has laid down on top of some of the most desirable women in several South American countries and all he asks for is your respect and forgiveness. Shame on you,,,,,shame on us all.

[@tonynicoletti8161]

Would love to see a video of you walking the canals and roadside creeks along the way to or from the keys. The amount of life and different species is stagering. Watch out for gators

[@JohnSkinnerFishing]

One of the toughest things about Florida fishing is that there are so many options. I feel like I can barely scratch the surface of all of the opportunities in skiff/yak range of my back yard. I definitely want to go back to the Everglades if it ever warms up.

[@onfootbassin]

Awesome video as always John and Elias V is flat out awesome. You both have inspired me to chase saltwater fish more up here in NJ. Aside from that, could you please tell me which fishfinder you have? I don't see it in the description. Thank you.

[@johnradomskijr9252]

Looks like a hummingbird helix seven same one I run on my outback

[@JohnSkinnerFishing]

humminbird helix 7

[@wormway_69]

I was praying you didn't get into a sharks next to that bridge and marking a spot of structure with the grouper and later grinding for a bigger mutton snapper omg mastering a marked spot in a day 😅 you put all your equipment to work 🛶🎣

[@hdl2857]

Mark to never come back lol

[@Iwished4]

The tsunami carbon shield rod still the best

[@northforkseaanddirtfishing5754]

Ive always worried about having fish on a stringer or the reverberations from the fish jumping around in a bleeding bucket on my kayak. Only got dogfish on long island but we all know the man in the grey tuxedo is out there. Scary video john. Knowing how the go pro changes the perception; that was SCARY, and you have some big brass to stay out there! I also just watched jaws again so that might have something to do with it. Have fun be safe! Thanks for the content!

[@JohnSkinnerFishing]

That big mechanical shark on Jaws was pretty funny.

[@northforkseaanddirtfishing5754]

The scariest part is when quint talks about the USS Indianapolis. Then you learn Jaws was based on multiple shark attacks in 1916 that happened all the way up a new jersey brackish creek. Speculation is that it was a bull shark. Theyre out there. And some of em are hungry.

[@bobcalifornia9622]

Wonder what an underwater view would have shown where the snapper were.

[@FishNassau]

I liked the second view from your second camera. It was a nice little bit of variety in the video. I’m very likely going to get my first kayak this year, directly inspired by your books and videos. But I don’t know how you can kayak fish knowing there are sharks around; I might have cut my line and raced out of there, but maybe there’s no need to panic. How do you determine if you’re in real danger or not?

[@JohnSkinnerFishing]

It hit the kayak. That's dangerous to me. Actually the only time I've ever felt that way.

[@ethankorb5593]

Where did you get that u shaped net you use? I’ve looked every which where and can’t find one!

[@sammyvh11]

Sharks are after fish. Orcas are after you.

[@duffmeister6480]

Where did you launch from ? Thanks.

[@JoeToz]

Lol. I swear as soon as I saw the bridge I thought of Fishaholic's encounter with a shark at that bridge. Guess the shark is still there 🙂

[@hef-outdoors2116]

and that's why you have 7 or 8 last drifts / casts!!

[@JohnSkinnerFishing]

They wouldn't let me leave.

[@johnw.cirago9300]

HI JOHN , YOUR KILLING ME , I HAVE TO WAIT TILL APRIL 27

[@gman4674]

What model is your thin profile PDF? Excellent video.

[@JohnSkinnerFishing]

It's whatever inexpensive BPS model there is, I think a 24 something.

[@jasonkovach7213]

I probably would have soiled my waders .

[@AmbitiousAngler]

I'm not looking forward to seeing my first shark in my kayak! Inevitably, it's probably going to happen as I keep fishing deep in my Yak!

[@JohnSkinnerFishing]

I don't mind seeing one. I didn't like feeling it.

[@scottymagillacutty9363]

I have a Coastmaster card and I use the view where it shows satellite views(I forget what they call it exactly) but the images are very blurry. I can see sand bars but in general the image sucks. Is yours similar?

[@JohnSkinnerFishing]

I haven't used the sat photos.

[@Peter-zg3em]

that footage you have of the jack swimming tight circles to avoid a shark is really something. might want to show that to the local biologists. that's a behavior they'll get a kick out of at the very least. not sure if it will have some kind of implications on the length of the animals, which i know are going down. maybe a smaller shark is a more effective predator when the prey is smaller.

[@JohnSkinnerFishing]

Amazing that jack got away from the shark. It knew what it was doing!

[@wesleyrodrigues3053]

What kind of battery do you use on Your Old Town 120 Auto Pilot

[@JohnSkinnerFishing]

amzn.to/49ddcZI - I really like that it has an app to monitor how much battery used. BTW, I was on the water for about 8 hours this trip, dealt with lots of current, and used 70% of the battery.

[@jeffreysnyder912]

Why did you choose the yellow kayak versus the new blue one?

[@jeffreysnyder912]

I heard your answer in the video

[@johnb2905]

Killing me to see you NOT keep at least one snapper

[@buzzardsbay]

Not even 10% of the quota of curse words necessary for that encounter! 😆

[@JohnSkinnerFishing]

I muted more f-words on that first cast than in a season of videos.

[@thomaskitlica5572]

Enjoyed the video but if you don't like sharks you're fishing the wrong place I grew up in the keys back in the 70s and they were bad then I can't imagine with the new laws protecting them!!! Be careful for real.

[@size-matters]

What day was this? I think I might have seen you on 2/23?

[@JohnSkinnerFishing]

Not that day.

[@johnradomskijr9252]

Spoiler, alert, love it I’d be there till dark

[@robertstorms5539]

Elias usually states that fishing around the bridges has to do with sharks.

[@JohnSkinnerFishing]

He warned me. His best advice was to not reach in to grab fish, but either swing or net quickly. I tried to net quickly on that first cast, but the shark won the race.

[@GregBradshaw-uz3ff]

Nope why I only fish the surf or from a bigger boat

[@myronchamberlain7734]

I fished in the keys many times its safer fishing off the bridges

[@nancyhainline2517]

Know nothing about saltwater fishing. Are jacks a mackeral? Edible? What about the snappers? Are there size limits on them? Would absolutely love to hook rod benders like the ones you did. Makes my perch look like bait...

[@JohnSkinnerFishing]

Snappers are good to eat, jacks not so much.

[@georgespencer2530]

Promo*SM 😌

[@nickgaiti8117]

Did you check your underwear after that shark kissed your kayak

[@fredhammer6413]

To all you people asking Mr. Skinner all your stupid questions please consider this; How dare you question the great John Skinner? Do you realize who your talking to? I’ve seen John Skinner ride an e-bike on the rock strewn beaches on the North Fork wearing crocks. CROCKS !!! If that’s not a sign of bravery I don’t know what is. When the local Long Island theater was damaged in a fire it was John Skinner who rebuilt it with his own hands. When the lumber and building supplies would start to dwindle down he would go to the local lumber yards and strong arm the owners to “donate” all the needed supplies under threat of grave bodily harm. They knew better than to deny his requests. I also know that the legendary John Skinner would go to the local woman’s shelter and spend many hours and great sums of money to help get the young single mothers back on their feet. Those young ladies will never forget him. Do you realize that John Skinner donates all the money he receives from his tackle and book sales to the Long Island Foundation For The Preservation Of Leaking Aluminum Boats and has himself started a sunken reef at the base of the Mount Sinai boat launch? John Skinner is more a man than you or I will ever be. He’s made and lost three fortunes, has hurricanes named after him, has laid down on top of some of the most desirable women in several South American countries and all he asks for is your respect and forgiveness. Shame on you,,,,,shame on us all.

[@JohnSkinnerFishing]

OK, anyone who knows me knows this was in jest as soon as they read that I built something with my own hands. There was a reason I was a software guy in my former life. Preservation of leaking aluminum boats? Definitely believable.

[@fredhammer6413]

Tell them John,,,,,,tell them all about the time you put Frank Mundus in a choke hold on the docks because he looked at you sideways as you walked by the Cricket II. After you got done wiping the floor with him he tucked tail to the farthest point away in the USA but you followed him to Hawaii to finish the job. He never dipped his toe in the ocean ever again after you got through with him.

[@ziradee]

The Keys are like Disney World for fisherman. Even though I live in SW FL - going to the Keys to fish is truly special. John, wouldn't you agree?

[@JohnSkinnerFishing]

It is certainly unique. Such beautiful water.

[@jonmenges2256]

Ask @fishahaulic about his shark encounter there